| The Wages of Fear
(1952, 141 min.) Written by Henri-Georges Clouzot and Jerome Geronimi, based on the novel by Georges Arnaud Directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot
The film is, at its narrative essence, a road trip, a cross-country journey taken by four desperate men. They are all poor and, willing, for a price, to transport volatile truckloads of nitroglycerine over treacherous mountain roads. What ultimately makes the dramatics so memorable is the care Clouzot takes in establishing the world from which these four men emerge. It is one of poverty and despair, a home to refugees and multitudes victimized by corporate greed. To these four men deliverance is offered in the form of instant wealth; but such wages come with a price of their own, indeed, a high one. In exploring the boundaries of the "road-trip" genre, we return to the roots of the contemporary Hollywood thriller -- in all its existential glory! Thus we can appreciate a filmmaker whose work embraces difficult questions and, appropriately, avoids easy answers. Film essay by David Tlapek Discussion Panelists: Dr. Eddie Gibbs, Lee Batchler, Dr. David Bruce The Wages of Fear Screening
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Contemporary
American film audiences might be surprised to learn that the iconic Hollywood
thriller Die Hard, along with the many films that have been modeled
after it, have a lineage dating back to the 1950's work of a French director.
It was in 1953 that Henri-Georges Clouzot debuted a stark, technically
minimalist, black & white film of epic proportions. Le Salaire de la
Peur (The Wages of Fear) placed breathtaking images of action and suspense
within a framework of emotional depth and philosophical inquiry. The effect
was -- and remains -- something unique.